The week that was

September 8, 2013

LET THE BUILDING BEGIN Construction on the long-debated Ward County office building will finally get under way soon, following a ground-breaking ceremony held last week. The building, to be located directly north of the Ward County Courthouse, will solve the county's space issues in the courthouse, which has become cramped and congested as the court system has grown and other offices have added necessary employees. The construction timetable would have the building being completed in the spring of 2015. It will certainly be a welcome addition that will help house more county employees under one roof, or at least under two roofs that are next to each other. It will improve efficiency and help the county spend money on paying for its own building rather than renting space from others around the city.

UNDER GOD A family in Massachusetts has taken its case to the state's Supreme Judicial Court to ban the daily practice of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. The family argues that the words "under God" discriminate against atheists, and that using the reference to God suggests that "good patriots are God believers" and those who do not believe in?God are less patriotic. A lawyer for the school district argued that the pledge is not mandatory. We've grown weary of this argument, although we realize that every citizen has the right to present such legal challenges. But we agree with a Massachusetts judge who last year ruled that the words "under God" in the pledge did not violate state law or the school district's anti-discrimination policy, writing that the pledge is a voluntary patriotic exercise that does not "convert the exercise into a prayer." We've always believed the Pledge of Allegiance should be said every day in public school classrooms. Those who don't wish to recite the pledge don't have to, but their choice shouldn't infringe upon the rights of others who do wish to say the pledge.